I Have Another Dream...

Though the sound waves are 50 years old, Martin Luther King's voice continues to travel through time. The voice still echoes through the Lincoln Memorial and through the red hills of Georgia. And though some of those dreams have become a reality...many have yet to be fulfilled. Racism and inequality continue to exist in our great nation and most likely will continue to exist as long as we insist on governing ourselves apart from God's word.

As great as the continuing need is for racial harmony and equal opportunity when it comes to the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness for all men and women who are citizens of the United State of America...there remains an even greater injustice in the world. 

Martin Luther King was a voice for thousands and hundreds of thousands who had no voice...and he used that voice to make one of the greatest speeches of all time. 

But where are the rallying cries for the millions and millions who are born, live and die without a single moment in, a single interaction with, or a single word from the Bible. Where is the voice echoing through our churches for the millions who have suffered generation after generation for over 2,000 years without a single word of the gospel in their language.

200 years of racial inequality pales in comparison to 2,000 years of living and dying apart from any knowledge of the gospel. Yes many horrific things have happen during those 200 years; but even Martin Luther King benefited mightily from being born in the realm of the gospel reach. His name was changed early in life, after the great reformer 'Martin Luther'.

If we would only truly understand how much worse, how much more awful, traumatic and desperate is it being born in a land where there is no gospel light than being born black in America in any era. Being born in a land where there is no gospel...means you never have the opportunity to call on the name of the Lord and be saved. And you if can not call on the name of the Lord...you perish. You lived eternity apart from him, in torment. That is much worse than anything we can imagine or suffer here in America. (Never mind that most of those same people don't have access to clean drinking water and medication never mind the right to vote, health care and flat screen tv's and the 1,000 other luxuries we have!!!!) 

The lack of fervor by supposed born-again believers for world evangelization is a much worse atrocity than any social injustice we face in America. The lack of interest in living for God's dream because we are too busy living for our own dreams is a much worse injustice than any social issue America is up against today.

I have a dream...that one day America Christians will wake up to their disobedience and realize that there are still over 2,393 whole languages in the world that do not have a Bible. They do not have the message of sin through Adam and salvation through faith in Christ alone! 2,393 whole languages can not call on the name of the Lord and be saved today! But we are more worried about our cell coverage.

I have a dream...that one day America Christians will wake up to the reality that there is only 1 missionary per 1 million unreached people in the world today! 

I have a dream...that one day soon Southern Baptist Christians will wake up from their stupor and realize that there are over 6,686 Southern Baptist Christians per unreached group in the world today!! 

I have a dream...that we would start caring less about our own comforts and desires and more about God's desires.

I have a dream...that we would be more concerned about people in Kenya getting the gospel for the first time than if we are treated fairly today, or if our clothes are just right and our lives are turning out exactly the way we planned.

God has a dream. Will it be your dream?

God has a dream...that all the nations that he has created will come and worship him. (Psalm 86:9)

God has a dream...to gather all his sons and daughters that he created for his glory. (Isaiah 43:6-7)

God has a dream...that one day there will be a great multitude from every tribe, tongue and nation worship him in Heaven! (Rev 7:9, 5:9)

God has a dream...that the church would abandon their own pursuits and obey him at all cost to make disciples of all nations. (Matt 28:19, Matt 16:24, Matt 19:29)

To close...amongst all the hype of continuing social injustices in America that do need to be addressed, don't forget the greatest injustice and inequality of all... that we have over 100 translations of the Bible in English, while 2,393 languages don't have a single one.

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. -Martin Luther King, Jr.

Two Criminals, Two Crosses, Two Choices...

<sup>Two Criminals, Two Crosses, Two Choices...

I love the allegories in the Bible. The analogies. I have come to learn that everything that happened in the Bible (from the smallest, seemingly most insignificant account to ---> the greatest) has a specific, intended spiritual lesson. I really love the ones that increase the understanding of the significance of Jesus' death. One of my favorites is the comparison of Jesus and Barabbas to the scapegoat and sacrificial goat in Leviticus 16. I would really encourage you to study up on that one. The account of choosing of Barabbas over Jesus seems so insignificant and random that you can totally miss it; I know I did for the longest time. The fact was that the High Priests were the first to cry out "Free Barabbas - Crucify Jesus" (Mark 15:11) while the two men stood at the front of the Temple...and they were literally performing the Old Testament instruction for the Priest to select the appropriate animal for an atoning sin sacrifice at the front of the Tent of Meeting. (Lev 16:7-9)
 
If I asked you "Who was the first person to be set free because of the sacrifice of Christ?" You may flip through your Bible to look for the first disciple who expressed clear understanding after the resurrection. You may look for a name of someone at Peter's speech at Pentecost. A really observant person may even say "the Roman Solider who was at the foot of the cross" and after Jesus died, said "Surely, this man was the Son of God!" (Luke 23:47) Truly the first person to benefit from the sacrifice of Christ, in a very real way, was Barabbas. 


This note isn't about Barabbas (though I should probably write one about that account)...this note is about the first person to be spiritually set free because of the sacrifice of Christ. 

38</sup> There was a written notice above him, which read: this is the king of the jews. ³⁹ One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” ⁴⁰ But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? ⁴¹ We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” ⁴² Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” ⁴³ Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:38-43

The two criminals represent all humanity. All of humanity will be categorized along side of (with) these two criminals...and the determining factor will be how we each, individually, respond to the savoir in the cross in the middle of us.  


Notice how similar they are. Both are suffering the pain of crucifixion. Both are guilty of a crime ("we are getting what our deeds deserve," v. 41). Both see Jesus, the sign over his head ("King of the Jews," v. 38); they hear the words from his mouth ("Father forgive them," v. 34). And both of these thieves want desperately to be saved from death.

Things are then divided between these two criminals and between two categories of people by how they each respond to Jesus on the cross, next to them.

All of us have all these things in common with these two criminals: there is suffering in our lives because of sin and we are dying because of it. We are guilty of many crimes. Most of us have seen Jesus on the cross in some way, shape or form and have heard his claim to kingship and his gracious words of forgiveness. And all of us want to be saved from death and suffering in one way or the other.

The First Criminal

The first criminal says, "Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”   What a picture of a spiritually destitute, worldly man. It is a matter of total indifference to him that he is suffering "the due reward of his deeds." He does not recognize that he is a criminal and that the punishment he is receiving is correct and fair.

To him right and wrong, praise and blame, good and bad are of no interest: his one objective is to save his earthly skin. He might even believe Jesus is the Messiah, the King of the Jews. But, it's only a matter of convenience to him: he'll take anybody as king who can get him off the cross. Just another way to serve his own worldly purposes. He fails to acknowledge that he is on that cross because of his own doing.

Notice however the other criminal: this one is the one Luke and Jesus want us to be like...

The Second Criminal

First, he is not sucked in by the other criminal's response.

He is not basing his opinion or response to Jesus on anyone else's inaccurate babbling about Jesus. The world has a bunch of incorrect notions about Jesus and will babble all day about your "craziness" to believe in such a man. Do not let your individual response to Jesus be swayed by other dying criminals who fail to recognize their situation. 

Second, he fears God.

'the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? '
God was real to this man and he feared the holy wrath of God.

Third, he admitted that he had done wrong and that the penalty he was receiving was correct. 

"We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve."  He had no desire to save face any more; he had no more will to assert himself. He was here and laid open before the God he feared and there was no way to hide his guilt. Not only did he admit to wrong and guilt, he accepted his punishment as deserved. We must admit that we are sinful, we are criminals against the most high God and we must admit that our sentence of death and separation from him is what our deeds deserve.

Fourth, he acknowledged that Jesus was righteous and the King of heaven.  

"But this man has done nothing wrong....Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."
It didn't make any difference to the first criminal if Jesus was right or wrong. We must say with the second criminal: "This man has done nothing wrong." This man only does what is good. This man only speaks the truth. This man is worthy of our faith and allegiance and imitation.This man was perfect and died in my (a criminals) place. This man acknowledged that Jesus was who he said he was; the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, righteous and holy as God alone is righteous and holy...and we must do the same. 

And finally, the second criminal does one more thing. He fears God, admits wrong, accepts justice, acknowledges the goodness and power of Jesus. Now he pleads for help.

"Jesus, remember when you come into your kingdom." Both criminals wanted to be saved from death. But how differently they sought their salvation: 1) "Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!" Prove yourself to us! 2) "Jesus, remember when you come into your kingdom!" If you don't remember me, I have no other hope!!! There is an infinite qualitative difference between "Remember me!" and "Save me!"

Jesus response to these two criminals was almost as radically different as their own responses to him.

To the first criminal, there is no record of response. I take this to mean that Jesus didn't reply. He didn't respond. Jesus did not reply to the first man. Jesus did not save this man, or give any promise of future deliverance. The man did not come to Jesus in the way that God demands. Neither will Jesus respond to any sinful criminals alive on earth today who do not come to him the way that God demands.

Jesus does reply to the second man.

He promises this second man that today, this very day, without delay...the man will be with Jesus in his kingdom. If we too reply like the second man, today, this very day, we can be brought into the kingdom of God. We can be called children of the King, sons and daughters of the most high God. We can be removed from the punishment that is due our deeds.